Cool, comfortable autumn is a divine time to head out doors and the opportunity is there with programs organized by the Shanghai Tourism Festival.
If you love the steamed stuffed buns, you can head to the food's hometown -- Nanxiang, an ancient, beautiful town in northwest Shanghai's Jiading District. Only 18 kilometers from downtown, Nanxiang is quiet with a slower pace.
From tomorrow until October 13, Guyi Garden runs a Bamboo Cultural Festival. The festival exhibits dozens of bamboo artworks and 20 colorful bamboo water paintings created by Qin Changbao, whose nickname is ``bamboo mania.'' From October 1 the garden will also be decorated with 999 red lanterns. The garden itself is an ancient relic. Built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) by a county official named Min Shiji, Guyi is regarded one of the oldest gardens in Shanghai. Designed by a renowned bamboo sculptor Zhu Sansong, the garden is graced with bamboo patterns everywhere -- on columns, pavilions and corridors. Don't forget to sample ``xiaolong bao,'' the authentic steamed stuffed buns, in the garden's restaurant, which usually sells 40,000 buns everyday. Also on offer during the tourism festival is a boat trip to Chongming Island to experience farming and fishing.
 The ``Nongjiale'' (farmers' home pleasure) program runs from September 25 to October 15. The Qianwei Village, in the middle of the island, has about 700 farmers. The program invites visitors to farm in the field, eat with farmers and live in a farmer's home. Around 30 families participate in the program and tourists can observe processes including making clothes from cotton. In Yingdong village, another village on the island, visitors can experience a fisherman's life for one day from fishing, catching crabs to watching the sunrise and sunset. Don't forget to eat the crabs. Chongming Island is famous for medium, plump crabs which have a heavenly flavor, and autumn is the best season.

Bamboo Cultural Festival
Date: September 18-October 14
Venue: Guyi Garden, 218 Huyi Rd, Nanxiang Town, Jiading District
Admission: 12 yuan
Tel: 5912-2225

`Nongjiale'
Date: September 25-October 15
Venue: Qianwei Village, Chongming Island
Admission: 25 yuan
Tel: 6969-2411